Selected bibliography on the Islamic World before 1500s

San Francisco State University
Selected bibliography on Islamic History (600-1700)

Prepared by: Maziar Behrooz (Spring 2021)

 

General:

Armestrong, Karen, Jerusalem: One City Three Faiths.

Bosworth, Clifford, E. The New Islamic Dynasties

Dryson, Elizabeth. The Moor’s Last Stand. (2019)

Esposito, John Islam the Straight Path.

Gibb, Hamilton, Studies on the Civilization of Islam.

Hawting, Gerald, R. The First Dynasty of Islam

Hodgson, Marshall, The Venture of Islam. 3 volumes

Hourani, Albert, A History of the Arab Peoples.

Kennedy, Hugh, The Prophet and the Age of Caliphate.

Lapidus, Ira, A History of Islamic Societies.

Lassner, Jacob, The Shaping of `Abbasid Rule.

Lewis Bernard, comp., Islam from the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople.

idem, Islam in History.

Lynch, Ryan J. Arab Conquests of Early Islamic Historiography (2019)

Waines, David, An Introduction to Islam

 

The Qur’an:

Reynolds, Gabriel Said. Ed, the Qur’an in its Historical Context

 

Prophet Muhammad:

Rubin, Uri, The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by Early Muslims.

Watt, W.M. Muhammad at Medina.

idem,  Muhammad at Mecca: History in the Qur'an.

idem, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman.

 

Rashidun Caliphs:

Madelung, Wilfred, The Succession to Muhammad.

Tritton, A.S. The Caliphs and their Non-Muslim Subjects: A Critical Study of the Covenant of Umar.

 

The Caliphate:

Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: the Rise and fall of Islam’s Greatest Dynasty

 

Shari'a, Theology and Philosophy:

Abdel Haleem, Muhammad, Understanding the Qur'an.

Corne, Patricia. God’s Rule: Government and Islam

Coulson, N.J. A History of Islamic Law.

Hallaq, Wael, B. A History of Islamic Legal Theories.

Hallaq, Wael B. The Origins and Evolution of Islamic law

Huff, Toby, The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West.

Powers, David, Studies in Qur'an and Hadith.

Rosenthal, Franz, Muslim Intellectuals and Social History.

Wansbrough, John and Rippin, Andrew. Quranic Studies: Sources and Methods of Scriptural Interpretation

Watt, W.M. Introduction to the Qur'an; idem, Islamic Philosophy and Theology; idem, What is Islam?

 

Shi'a Imami:

Halm, Heinz, Shiism.

Momen, Moojan, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam.

Vaziri, Mustafa, The Emergence of Islam: Prophecy, Imamate, and

Messianism in Perspective.

Nasr, Sayyed Hossein, Shi'ism: Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality.

 

Shi'i Isma'ili and Assassins:

Burman, Edward The Assassins: Holy Killers of Islam.

Daftary, Farhad, The Assassin Legends.

idem, The Isma'ilis: Their History and Doctrines.

Hodgson, Marshall, Order of Assassins.

Lewis, Bernard, Fida'iyan-i Ismaili.

idem, The Assassins.

idem, The Origins of Isma'ilism.

 

Sufism:

Lewisohn, Leonard, ed., The Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism.

Nasr, Sayyed Hossein, ed., Islamic Spirituality Manifestations.

Messignon, Louis, The Passion of al-Hallaj.

 

Science:

Turner, Howard Science in Medieval Islam.

 

The Christian World, Crusades and Jews of Islam:

Courbage, Youssef and Fargues, Phillippe, Christians and Jews Under Islam.

Ellenalum, Ronnic, Frankish Rural Settlement in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem.

Folda, Jaroslav, The Art of Crusaders in the Holy Land, 1098-1187

Kaegi, Walter, E. Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests.

Kennedy, Hugh, Crusader Castles.

Lewis, Bernard, The Jews of Islam.

idem, The Muslim Discovery of Europe.

Lyons, Malcolm Cameron, Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War.

Maalouf, Amin The Crusades Through Arab Eyes.

Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades

----------------. Byzantine Style and Civilization

----------------. The Byzantine Theocracy

Samil, R.C., The Crusading Warfare.

Simon Reeva S, Michael M Laskier, and Sara Reguer, eds.  THE JEWS OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA IN MODERN TIMES (Columbia University Press, 2003)

Watt, W. Montgomery, A History of Islamic Spain.

idem, Influence of Islam on the Medieval Europe.

idem, Muslim-Christian Encounters: Perceptions and Misperceptions.

 

Iran:

Daryaee, Touraj. From Oxus to Ephrates: the World of Late Antique Iran. (2016)

-------------------. Sasanian Iran 224-651 CE: Portrait of Late Antique Empire. (2008)

-------------------. Sasanian Persia: The Rise and Fall of an Empire. (2013)

Farrokh, Kaveh. The Armies of Ancient Persia: The Sassanians. (2020)

-------------------. Sassanian Elite Cavalry AD 224-642. (2005)

-------------------. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War. (2009)

Garthwaite, Gene. The Persians (2005)

Olmstead A.T. History of the Persian Empire.

Pourshariati, Parvaneh. Decline and Fall of the Sasanian Empire.

Rezakhani, K. ReOrienting the Sasanians.

Zarghamee, Reza. Discovering Cyrus.

 

Mamluks:

Philipp, Thomas, ed. The Mamluks in Egyptian Politics and Society.

 

Mongol Period:

Andrew, Boyle John, The Mongol World Empire.

Forbes-Manz, Beatrice, The Rise and Rule Of Tamerlane.

Spuler, Bertold, The Mongol Period.